Broncos rookie tight end Richard Quinn was held in jail overnight after an argument with his girlfriend resulted in an obstruction of telephone service harassment charge.

“This was an unfortunate personal situation,” said Peter Schaffer, Quinn’s attorney and agent. “However, I’m very proud the way Richard handled this delicate situation by defusing what otherwise could have been a potentially dangerous situation.

“When all the facts come out, people will find out Richard’s done nothing wrong. Richard’s No. 1 concern right now is the welfare of his daughter and to avoid any negative light brought to the Denver Broncos, Richard and his family.”

Quinn was arrested Monday and taken to the Arapahoe County Jail. Per Colorado state law in domestic cases, Quinn was held overnight without bond and will appear before a judge at 8:30 a.m. today.

At 12:34 p.m. Monday, Arapahoe County deputies responded to a “verbal disturbance that had been physical” between Tiffany Merritt and Quinn, whom Merritt described as her live-in boyfriend.

According to an Arapahoe County Sheriff’s report, Quinn’s girlfriend called 911 from a neighbor’s house after the couple got into an argument. She told deputies Quinn “grabbed her and shook her to the ground” and took her cellphone away to prevent her from calling police.

According to the report, Quinn admitted taking the phone, but said he grabbed his girlfriend only after she “started hitting him in the face.” The report says Quinn had no sign of injuries to his face. Schaffer said there are multiple scratches on Quinn’s back.

“Richard did everything he was taught to do (through various NFL rookie programs that deal with potential off-field situations) to defuse an otherwise irrational person and he’s the person sitting in jail,” Schaffer said.

The son of a former U.S. Marine, Quinn was widely regarded as a prospect of strong character by scouts when the Broncos selected him in the second round of the NFL draft in April. He played in all of the Broncos’ preseason games and is listed third on the depth chart, behind Daniel Graham and Tony Scheffler.

The Broncos resume practices today in preparation for their season opener Sunday at Cincinnati.

Staff writer Lindsay H. Jones contributed to this report.

Mike Klis: 303-954-1055 or mklis@denverpost.com

EYE ON . . .

Cincinnati Bengals

For the record:0-0. The Bengals were 2-2 in the preseason.

Last week: The Bengals’ backups beat the Colts’ backups 38-7 in the final preseason game Thursday.

Who’s hot: Quarterback Carson Palmer’s ankle is healthy and he will start Sunday. He has his top two wide receivers (Chad Ochocinco and Chris Henry) healthy and playing well too.

Who’s not: First-round draft pick Andre Smith held out almost the entire preseason and then broke a bone in his foot last week, two days after reporting. He will not play against the Broncos.

Key stat: Four touchdown receptions for Henry this preseason. He had only two in 12 games in 2008.

FYI: The Bengals were the focus of the HBO series “Hard Knocks” throughout the preseason, and the result was arguably the most entertaining version of the show, which has previously featured the Ravens, Chiefs and Cowboys. The “Hard Knocks” crew wrapped up production in Cincinnati on Monday.

Coachspeak: “We have to execute and be on point with everything we do. Once we get that sharpness, it will snowball with the rest of the guys. I think that’s going to be important.” — Coach Marvin Lewis, on how he hopes his young team will improve

Mike Klis was with The Denver Post from Jan. 1, 1998 before leaving in 2015 to join KUSA 9News. He covered the Rockies and Major League Baseball until the 2005 All-Star break, when he was asked to start covering the Broncos.

More in Sports

David Wise dug deep Thursday on his final run, spinning the strongest run of his stellar career with back-to-back switch double corks to sneak past teammate Alex Ferreira and claim his second Olympic gold.

EDMONTON, Alberta — In two games since returning from an eight-game injury absence, Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon has four points, including a goal, and multiple shots off the post or crossbar. The 22-year-old has undoubtedly re-proven that he is the Avs’ most valuable player — the player they must have in the lineup to make a legitimate playoff push.